One of the best resources for good, free games is definitely Itch.io, the Steam for indies. Today I’m introducing my Avant-Garden collectionon Itch.io, a collection of surreal, engrossing, and sometimes just lovably weird games that I love. And most of them are point-blank free!

Free Points is a series of weekly(ish) free game recommendations. The games may range from the most surreal of Alt Games to the most traditional of platformers; the only requirements for a Free Points game is that they’re free (real free, not free to play!) and very much worth your time.

What Is Avant-Garden?

Avant-Garden started out as “Cool Weird Games”, a collection I’d add every…cool, weird game I found into! I frequently use Itch.io to find interesting experiences for my YouTube, and after removing games from my “to review” queue, I liked to add them to another “worth playing” collection for others to see.

Like Sacremento here, many of these games are brief, but leave a lasting impression.

After a while I grew a bit tired of the old name, and I’ve noticed some of my favorite game developers don’t appreciate the simplicity of calling their games “weird” in general discourse—though I certainly don’t mean it as a negative myself! It is a bit frustrating to see fantastic, unique games reduced to “look at this weird crap I found!” on various big YouTubers’ channels, after all.

Looking for a better word, I came upon a fun pun and Avant-Garden was born. I find it encapsulates the feeling of a quick, meditative romp that many of these games offer, and matches the experience I have of cultivating and adding to the collection. I adore finding new games to add to my garden.

A sample from the gallery, which shows metadata, thumbnails, and descriptive blurbs. The icons show which platforms a game can be run on; itch.io can have Android APKs too, not just PC games!

Not absolutely everything in Avant-Garden is free; many are Pay What You Want, some are premium, but most can be played free of charge. Itch.io collections helpfully list the price if any.

Why Play Avant-Garden?

Not everyone likes “walking simulators” and other such “weird” games, but I find playing short, meaningful, and strikingly unique little things an extremely refreshing and rewarding experience.

Variety is the spice of life, and I feel like gaming is an aspect of life most people are very picky about. Avant-Garden—like my YouTube Channel—is meant to boot you out of your comfort zone and help you try new things.

Earthtongue, one of the first games I put in Avant-Garden. Also, an actual gardening game.

You might not like everything in Avant-Garden, and that’s okay; I find playing games I don’t like, much like eating food that isn’t my favorite, helps me appreciate what I do like all the more. Whether you find a new favorite or gain a better understanding of what you do and don’t like, I hope you’ll find Avant-Garden a worthwhile and truly unique romp. And almost all of it is free!